Although the syndrome is most commonly associated with uncontrollable bad language, which has been exploited by many TV documentaries, Alison said Ryan doesn’t swear.

“Vocal Tourette's is not always words or phrases. It can mean noises too – all three can come in waves. Ryan can have four to five tics at a time, all varied,” she said.

“Imagine wanting to sneeze but trying to stop it - it’s virtually impossible. This is how ticcing is described sometimes.

“Ryan sometimes manages to suppress his tics, but this takes an enormous amount of mental and physical strength out of him.

“He goes to a therapy group every week to help him cope with his condition and learn to accept that it’s OK to have it, although there aren’t any other local support groups specifically tailored for people with Tourette's.”

In light of this, Ryan and his gran Denise Barlow have decided to organise a coffee morning today at Rhuddlan Community Centre (10am-noon) to raise money and awareness for a charity called Tourettes Action that supports children and their families.

Alison added: “All money raised will enable specialists to go into schools to give talks and offer family therapy work groups.

“There is so much that Tourettes Action can do to help people with this condition.

“We are so proud of Ryan for wanting to help others. We’d also like to say we are extremely grateful to the staff and consultants in the paediatrics department at Glan Clwyd for their swift action and high level of support.”